Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Today, I am popping in to give you some extra organizing reads to check out around the blogosphere, as well as some general updates and information. I love this time of the month as it gives me an opportunity to share a lot of the behind-the-scenes happenings that may not always get the privilege of an entire post. So much goodness happening over here!

As always, many of the items I write about over there, are inspired by things happening here.

I have been working on our son's room for quite awhile now, and designing and organizing for a thirteen year old boy much more interested in sports and friends than the color of his bedding, has proven to be a bit challenging. However, there are some organizational tips that I use no matter what their age, and I shared those here.

Many people are inspired by the seasons while decorating their home. Same concept can be applied to decorative storage, and I shared my favorite autumn-esque options that can be used year round, in this article here.

With a kitchen update in our future, I will be thinking about how to maximize every last inch of our space. I thought it would be fun to take a look at budget friendly ways to organize a pantry cupboard.

And if you are planning on getting your home office into tip top shape for the first of the new year, Good Housekeeping has a slew of tips for you here.

I am continuing to contribute to the The Daily Mom App feed, which I still love for a variety of reasons. The daily jokes are also a huge hit with the kiddos. And good news! The app is now FREE!

Are you feeling super ready and prepared for the upcoming holiday season? It is always a whirlwind of excitement, but can also quickly become overwhelming. Emily from So Damn Domestic, is hosting a series filled with a variety of holiday focused organization tips from a panel of hand picked experts.

OK, I am so excited about this, I am at a loss at how to express my over-the-top enthusiasm. My extremely talented friend, Cyndy from The Creativity Exchange, just finished up an organizing book as part of the Idiot's Guide series.

Not only is this book filled to the brim with full page illustrations of organizational eye treats...

It also includes an incredible feature of our playroom, and it really shines on those beautiful pages! I owe Cyndy my first born for this honor!

When the package first arrived at my door, my heart was racing at record-breaking speeds.

We have been featured in magazine print in the past, but this is our first book appearance, so I think it is cause for endless celebratory nonsense and wine drinking. Thank you so much Cyndy for seeing something in our playroom project and including it in your fantastic piece of work.

If you were wondering if I had suddenly fallen off the face of the earth last week, the answer is luckily no. In fact, I was organizing once again, only this time I was organizing in Texas!

I fell in love with Grace of A Storied Style Blog, when I met her at a Better Homes & Garden's event last year. We quickly became dear friends and have been scheming my trip to visit ever since. Not only did I go down to visit her and her darling clan, I also helped her with some organizing. I couldn't be more thrilled with how the room came together, just moments before I had to head back to the airport to go home.

I absolutely cannot wait to share more, so I hope y'all stay tuned for the entire story.

And in REALLY big news, I shared last week that we are finally ready to start our very long awaited kitchen project! I am so excited and nervous all at the same time, as I feel like I have been building this up for years! Well, in the spirit of just not wanting to wait any longer, the first hole has been made!

My visions and ideas for the space have been changing by the second, and I am excited to share the entire process of our biggest renovation to date. We have no idea what we are getting ourselves into, but we have never shied away from a challenge.

Because we are going to try and do as much of the work as possible, it could impact my posting schedule and the amount of additional organizing projects I am working on beyond our kitchen. We are planning on spending many evenings working on tearing down the wall, installing our flooring, assembling and installing our cabinets, etc... I plan to share every last moment of the story here, but if the floors take four days to install on our own, I may not have an abundance of daily updates. If there are other organizational questions and articles you would like for me to post in-between our bigger kitchen updates, feel free to leave some suggestions in the comments below. Anything from "how to organize a small entry" to "favorite organizing supplies for the office"... I am happy to answer any of those general organizing questions you may have. And I am sure there will be times when I just need to take a kitchen break to focus on a random messy drawer.

Either way, this is one of the most exciting things that have happened around here in a very long time and I am honored to take all of you along for the ride!

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And last but certainly not least, with 2015 right around the corner, I am looking to add a few fresh faces to the iHeart Contributing team!

As you know, my fabulous team of writers assist in bringing fresh new content to the blog on a weekly basis. Because we all live in different situations and have different skills to share, they bring elements to iHeart Organizing that I could never offer on my own. I am delighted to add some new talent to the mix, and I am calling on you to be part of the team!

What I am looking for:

People who love to organize!

People who love to sew organizational storage!

People who love to build organizational storage!

People who love to re-purpose everyday items into storage!

People who love to write and share their organizational stories!

If this sounds like you, and you are interested in contributing approximately 5 posts per year, then please email me at iheartorganizing@gmail.com with CONTRIBUTE in the subject line. Please include a little about yourself, a link to your blog, and your favorite organizing project. I am also happy to answer any questions via email regarding the contributing process and experience.

Submissions due to me by end of day, Saturday, December 6th.

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It was an honor to celebrate my five year blogging milestone in September and I just wanted to thank you all for your kind comments, emails and notes on social media, congratulating and encouraging me along the way. Blogging is never something I take for granted and I hope that I still have a few more years ahead of me. At the end of the day, you pals keep me motivated to continually tackle spaces and share it here, so consider this as me hugging you in a very bear-like way. You can see all of the posts in the blogiversary series below:A Day in our Life The Bread & Butter of the BlogTen Things I Have Learned Along the WayBlogging Photography Tips & Tricks

And a very important reminder that this blog would not be possible without my monthly sponsors. They are each amazing companies that I love and support right back, you can check each of them out below or on the sidebar.

A few days are remaining to link up your organizing projects as part of this month's organizing challenge! Check them out and link up here!

25 comments:

I love your blog!♥ I am so happy that I found you (via bloglovin'). Your blog is very informative and liking almost all of the things you share. I also love organizing, crafting, fashion... I also have my own journal and I have been sharing my thoughts ideas and anything under the sun for quite sometime now. Love from Manila Philippines xoxo

Hi Jen, I'd like to see a post on how to organize an entry closet that should contain coats and shoes + laundry-to-be-done hampers, vacuum and iron. I really don't know how to configure it. thanks a lot

As far as the book goes, I would love to someday, however, I am currently weighing out the pros and cons tied to the time commitment needed to create a book with fresh content above and beyond what I do for the blog (while also looking to grow my shop and work with clients and be a good mom).

Thank you! The sweater is from the limited, I only spotted it in white online: http://m.thelimited.com/product/belted-open-front-cardigan/5507345.html?ppid=s15&start=15&q=Cardigan&srule=search-relevance&dwvar_5507345_colorCode=1

Thank you Amy! The sweater is from the Limited, I only spotted it in white online: http://m.thelimited.com/product/belted-open-front-cardigan/5507345.html?ppid=s15&start=15&q=Cardigan&srule=search-relevance&dwvar_5507345_colorCode=1

Wow, huge congratulations on the book feature, Jen!! How exciting, and of course, so well deserved! I can't wait to see your kitchen journey unfold - I know it will be utterly beautiful, like everything you put your hand to! So excited for you that you finally get to start after dreaming about this for so long. What a great feeling that must be! xoxo

Exciting news about the kitchen starting to happen! Brave woman starting this during the busy holiday season. How long are you anticipating the kitchen renovation to take? Do you have a temporary kitchen set up during the reno? How are you going to handle meals during this time?

Brave, yes, but luckily we are not doing any hosting this year so we really are not too worried about our timing. I get so stir crazy during our winter months, I am looking forward to having something this exciting going on to help pass the time.

Great questions and I will be sure to share how we handle food storage and meals and how we utilize the space in the remainder of our home while our kitchen and living rooms are under construction. The guest room and lower level will be receiving a lot of action throughout the process. As far as a timeline, we aren't putting any deadlines on this project at this point, I really do not want to stress more than I need to. I would love to host a Superbowl party, but I am thinking that is a bit aggressive. Only time will tell! :)

Hi Jen--I love your blog and read it daily--It's fair to say that you have changed my life. Thanks. I WANT those mechanical pencils on this post--polka dots, zebra--what fun! Can you please share the manufacturer with us?

I just emailed you about contributing...fingers crossed! :) :) Your blog is one of my absolute must reads. I eat breakfast and sip my coffee while reading your newest post before my crazy day begins. It is the perfect start to my day. Love, love, love!!! :) :)

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